ON THE THEORY OF IONIZATION OF A THIN FOIL BY A LASER-PULSE

The process of ionization of matter acquires new features in the case of a laser pulse interacting with a thin foil. We employ an analytical description of the laser-foil interaction which leads to nonlinear bo undary conditions for the wave equation. We derive the characteristic ionization time of the foil and show that the form and frequency of th e laser pulse change during its interaction with the foil. (C) 1998 Pu blished by Elsevier Science B.V.